In 2024, Pakistan took several decisive steps to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its public sector—a long-overdue move aimed at solving systemic inefficiencies, improving service delivery, and building smarter governance. While the private sector, especially startups and banks, had begun experimenting with AI tools years ago, the public sector only began to embrace AI meaningfully in the past two years.

Driven by a growing digital infrastructure, pressure to modernize governance, and international donor support, 2024 marked a tipping point in Pakistan’s AI public sector journey.

Policy-Led Push: AI Policy 2024

The Ministry of IT & Telecom (MoITT) rolled out the National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2024, which provided a roadmap for responsible, inclusive, and impactful adoption of AI in government processes. Core pillars included:

Establishing AI centers of excellence in collaboration with universities

Funding public sector AI pilots via the Ignite National Technology Fund

Mandating open data standards to power AI training and transparency

The policy emphasized citizen-centric applications and public-private collaboration, aligning AI deployment with Pakistan’s Vision 2035 digital development framework.

Pilot Projects: AI Meets Public Services

Several high-impact pilots were launched in 2024, reshaping how the government serves its citizens:

AI-powered predictive analytics at NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) helped model flood risks using satellite data, saving lives in flood-prone districts of Sindh and Punjab.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) began using machine learning algorithms to detect tax evasion and streamline audits, increasing compliance rates by 18%.

Chatbot assistants in NADRA and passport offices provided 24/7 guidance, reducing in-person queries and crowding.

In healthcare, the Ministry of National Health Services partnered with local startups to deploy AI for diagnosing tuberculosis using X-ray image classification tools.

Each project was implemented in phases, with impact assessments mandated at each milestone.

Challenges: Skills, Data, and Trust

While momentum grew, so did awareness of the hurdles. A shortage of skilled AI professionals within government agencies led to dependency on private contractors. Data quality and accessibility remained poor, especially in departments without digitized records.

Moreover, civil society raised concerns over:

Bias in AI decision-making

Lack of redress mechanisms for automated errors

Citizen data privacy and surveillance

In response, the Pakistan Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) and MoITT initiated workshops on ethical AI use, while a Digital Ombudsman office was proposed under the new data protection law to manage AI-related grievances.

Partnerships Power Progress

International organizations played a vital role:

The UNDP and World Bank provided technical support for AI governance frameworks.

Chinese and Singaporean firms advised on smart city AI deployments in Karachi and Lahore.

Startups like VisionX and Sehat Kahani offered homegrown AI applications for diagnostics and data analytics in social services.

Academic institutions also joined the fray, with NUST, LUMS, and ITU Lahore offering AI bootcamps and fellowships for civil servants.

Looking Ahead: Institutionalizing AI

Pakistan’s public sector AI journey in 2024 was about laying the groundwork—building capacity, testing use cases, and framing governance norms. The next phase involves institutionalizing AI:

Setting up a National AI Council

Developing cross-agency AI labs

Embedding AI in procurement and budgeting cycles

As fiscal pressures and citizen expectations rise, AI may become not just a tool—but a necessity—for making governance agile, data-driven, and accountable.

References:

Ministry of IT & Telecom – National Artificial Intelligence Policy (2024)

NDMA AI Flood Modeling Pilot – UNDP Pakistan Case Study (2024)

FBR Annual Report – AI & Tax Compliance Analytics (2024)

NADRA Innovation Unit – Chatbot Deployment Results (2024)

Pakistan Digital Rights Foundation – AI and Public Trust Report (2024)

World Bank – Pakistan AI Readiness Assessment (2024)

Sehat Kahani & VisionX – AI Product Casebooks (2023–2024)